When last we brought you an update on the SW Roxbury sidewalk-building-and-road-panel-replacing project coming up on the eastbound side of the road between 28th and 30th, it was set to start next Wednesday. Today, King County Roads sent an update – the start date is now July 10th (one week from Monday). It’s still expected to wrap up before school starts in early September.

On June 29, a group of investors gathered at the site of Quail Park Memory Care of West Seattle for the ‘topping out’ ceremony. (The tree honors any that were cut in the creation of the building.) A Japanese Maple was placed on the highest beam of the project, and now the finishing work begins! The project is on track for a late-fall opening.

When complete, Quail Park will become home to 66 predominantly West Seattle residents who are coping with some form of dementia. The Quail Park vision is that the close-knit and welcoming West Seattle community will create the possibility of freedom and fulfillment for these residents — so that they can continue to enjoy everything they’ve come to love about their neighborhood. We’ll be hosting a series of happy hours and workshops to encourage dialogue and build a knowledge base to allow for maximum freedom for our residents.

And: Until the building opens, starting on July 14 (in time for Summer Fest!, we’ll be opening a ‘Discovery Center’ adjacent to the ‘Stop n’ Shop’ Senior Center thrift store at 4504 California Avenue SW.

So stop by and visit executive director Dawn Schaper and community-relations director Elizabeth Shier in July, and ask any questions you may have about dementia on behalf of yourself or a loved one.

So they sought a city grant to hire a consultant. Working with consultant David Daw – also present for our conversation – “we settled on a survey of businesses to find out their impression of Delridge, their interests, why they are here, what they think of the neighborhood,” and where Delridge is growing and going. Read More

Got a text (thank you!) about yellow “crime scene” tape and police activity at the 61st/Admiral site where 12 rowhouse units are scheduled to replace three duplexes. We hadn’t heard anything, so we went over to check, and found out that it’s training, as police and/or fire sometimes get permission to do in and around soon-to-be-demolished buildings. We’re told they’ll be there another hour or so.

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Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE ROAD WOES: More 35th SW repaving might be moved up to 2019, SDOT tells Councilmember Herbold

Bit by bit, 35th SW seems to be moving closer to earlier repaving. You’ll recall that originally, SDOT’s plan had it penciled in for 2023. Then came news in April that the Avalon repaving project would include three bus-battered blocks of 35th, between Avalon and Alaska. After that, we learned earlier this month that some spot repaving is planned on south 35th SW. Today, Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s weekly update includes word that the rest of the south section of 35th SW might be moved up to 2019 – and includes word of exactly which sections will be involved in the spot repaving:

This week I received a reply from SDOT. In response to hearing not only from me, but many of you as well, they have indicated they have scheduled the rebuild of 35th from Alaska to Avalon for 2019 (in conjunction with Avalon re-paving project). This segment of 35th carries the highest bus traffic. They also indicated they are considering moving forward, from 2023 to 2019, the re-paving work on the Roxbury to Morgan segment of 35th.

In addition, they are planning on spot repairs in 2017 for the northbound travel lanes from Cloverdale to Thistle, Holden to Austin, and Othello to Webster.

After sending the letter, I further asked about a question several constituents have asked about whether the lane reduction from Roxbury to Holly had resulted in a differential weight distribution than the road was originally designed for, thus possibly leading to greater degradation of the road.

SDOT replied that this has been an issue with some lane reductions in Seattle, but they didn’t believe it was much of a factor on 35th, except perhaps in some places. They noted that southbound, the lane reduction had shifted traffic onto concrete, which is structurally more robust. Northbound, there may be some accelerated deterioration in spots that they proposed to mitigate with spot repairs in 2017, as noted above.

I appreciate SDOT’s responsiveness to the requests of my office as well as District 1 constituents in this matter.

Her update also includes the entire text of SDOT’s letter to her, which includes some numbers on the repaving costs, plus a warning that moving up 35th would “require us to eliminate other Move Seattle [levy] paving projects throughout the City.” You can read it on her website.

P.S. As we reported June 19th, 35th SW Phase 2 is still on the drawing board, with Phase 1 analysis due to go public in a few weeks.

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Comments Off on COUNTDOWN: 8 days to Seafair Pirates Landing on Alki

(WSB photo from 2016 Seafair Pirates Landing – the crowd can be as much fun as the Pirates!)

As mentioned a bit earlier in our continuing coverage counting down to big summer events, the Seafair Pirates Landing is one week from tomorrow, 10 am-6 pm Saturday, July 8th, on Alki Beach. This year, the Pirates are expected around 2 pm, but the music starts at 11 – here’s the lineup we just received:

Alki Beach will be filled with mermaids, kids activities, live music, and craft and food vendors to celebrate the Pirates’ arrival in style. Additionally, the Alki merchants will be on hand up and down the street with their fabulous food, beverages, and wares available. The event is free, family friendly, and open to the public!

If you’re new – this all generally happens around the Alki Bathhouse, at 60th SW/Alki SW. But exactly where the Pirates storm ashore in that vicinity tends to vary year to year.

Just published on SPD Blotter, word that three people were arrested last night after a street robbery was reported near 18th SW and SW Barton:

On Thursday night, just before 10:00 pm, officers responded to that area after a 58-year-old man called 911 to report he had just been robbed of his bicycle at gunpoint by three suspects. The suspects then fled and the victim was able to call police.

Officers responded and set up containment. A K-9 team responded and tracked to a nearby vacant house in the 9200 block of Delridge, where the victim’s bicycle was found abandoned in the tall grass. Officers heard voices inside the house and three individuals came out. The three individuals matched the suspect description provided by the victim. The victim was able to positively identify the suspects, all male, ages 17, 18, and 22. They were arrested without incident.

Officers checked the vacant house for additional suspects. During a check of the house, officers discovered an open window in a back bedroom. Thinking that was a little odd, the officer looked out the window and, using his flashlight, located a firearm in the tall grass. The gun was recovered with a fully loaded magazine. The victim confirmed that was the gun the suspects used in the robbery.

The 17-year-old suspect was later booked into the Youth Services Center, while the older suspects were booked into the King County Jail.

Juvenile detention rosters aren’t available online, but we’ve verified via the King County Jail register that the 18- and 22-year-old suspects are still in custody. Neither appears to have a felony record.

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Comments Off on COUNTDOWN: Date set for Seafair Parade of Ships

Continuing our look ahead to some of what’s coming up this summer – since the Seafair website just mentions August 1st through 6th as Fleet Week, without other specifics, we asked about the Parade of Ships, usually a popular sight as the visiting military ships “parade” past West Seattle. Seafair spokesperson Emily Cantrell tells WSB the date is Wednesday, August 2nd, and beyond that, no details yet. So if you’re interested, you can at least set your calendar.

P.S. Seafair’s biggest West Seattle event, the Pirates Landing, is at Alki on July 8th, one week from tomorrow … more on that soon!

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Comments Off on COUNTDOWN: 3 weeks to Alki Art Fair!

No festivals this weekend, since many people are traveling or otherwise getting ready for the 4th of July. So we’ll be looking ahead to the next wave of big summer events. Among them: The Alki Art Fair, three weeks away, Saturday and Sunday, July 22nd and 23rd. Here’s the official announcement, including info on this year’s free shuttle:

The Alki Art Fair is celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer, and everyone from both the peninsula and the mainland is invited. This event is FREE, kid-friendly, and draws upward of 10,000 visitors each year.

Local bands provide the soundtrack and salty breezes provide the atmosphere as you browse the diverse artists’ displays. (Rain or shine — though our track record is almost 100% for shine.)

Saturday, July 22, artist booths are open from 10 am – 6 pm with music all day until 9 pm.

Sunday, July 23, artist booths are open 10 am – 6 pm with music until 6 pm.

This year’s Fair will feature:

*90+ artist vendors selling works in a variety of media including painting, pottery, glass, textiles, metal, jewelry & more

The Alki Art Fair offers a free shuttle from the West Seattle Park n’ Ride parking lot (under the West Seattle Bridge) through the Admiral Junction to Alki Beach. Shuttle will run to and from the Beach from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM both days.

The Alki Art Fair’s goal is to advance art education and appreciation while encouraging community involvement and cultural diversity. The Fair is a Washington State nonprofit organization, whose purpose is to continue the annual event and other mission-related activities into the future.

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Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday watch

7:25 AM: Good morning! No incidents in/from West Seattle as we look ahead toward what for some will be a four-day holiday weekend. (Transit information about Tuesday, July 4th, is on our special holiday page, by the way.)

At Wednesday night’s public hearing about the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Housing Affordability and Livability Act’s Mandatory Housing Affordability component, the most common comment was “give us more time to read, analyze, and react to it.”

The decision on that would have to be made by Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development director Sam Assefa, his staff said at meeting’s end, by which time he was not in sight, though he had given the introduction. OPCD’s Geoff Wendlandt offered that they weren’t likely to extend the July 23 deadline.

There also were several complaints that the hearing was not being broadcast by Seattle Channel (prompting a few people to ask us afterward where they would find our video).

37 people commented in almost an hour and a half. That was preceded by the classic open-house setup, with summaries on walls and easels around the room, listing points you otherwise would have to pull out of the 462-page DEIS, toplines of the alternatives it looked at, which propose different paces and types of rezoning and growth.